With the evolution in the WLAN (Wireless Local Access Network), users of mobile terminals (or user equipments), such as laptop computers, are capable of performing their tasks with the help of increased mobility. For example, the user may be capable of taking his (or her) laptop computer to a conference room when attending a meeting or conference and may, then, access a local network through the WLAN.
In a system that is based upon the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering) 802.11 standard, BSS (Basic Service Set) refers to a collection of stations, which have successfully established synchronization. Additionally, a Basic Service Area (BSA) refers to an area accommodating members configuring the BSS. The BSA may differ depending upon propagation characteristics of a wireless medium. The BSS may essentially be divided into two different configurations, such as an Independent BSS (IBSS) and an Infrastructured BSS. Herein, as a BSS configuring a self-contained network, the former corresponds to a BSS that is not authorized to access a Distribution System (DS), and, as a BSS including at least one or more APs (Access Points) and a distribution system, the latter corresponds to a BSS that uses an AP during all communication procedures generally including communication between the stations.
The IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard provides transmission rates of 11 Mbps (IEEE 802.11b) and 54 Mbps (IEEE 802.11a), which use an unlicensed band at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. IEEE 802.11g provides a transmission rate of 54 Mbps by applying OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) at 2.4 GHz, and IEEE 802.11n provides a transmission rate of 300 Mbps for 4 spatial streams by applying MIMO-OFDM. In the IEEE 802.11n, a channel bandwidth of up to 40 MHz is supported, and, in this case, a transmission rate of 600 Mbps is provided.
Recently, diverse types of social networking based services, such as Facebook, Twitter, Chatting, Social Commerce, Product Promotion, and so on, are being in the spotlight. Meanwhile, unlike the conventional social networking method, which is being serviced through the Internet, SNS services based upon locations, such as department stores, supermarkets, localized personal broadcasting, localized social networking services (SNSs) are under research and development.